


Love Is For Everyone

by LissaWho5



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Adoption, Angst, Biracial!Virgil, Bullying, Fluff, He's half black, He's pretty humanoid, Homophobia, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Monster!Roman, Moxiety as parents!, Multi, Past Child Abuse, Sanders sides big bang, Transphobia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-16
Updated: 2019-08-16
Packaged: 2020-09-01 20:36:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 20,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20264167
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LissaWho5/pseuds/LissaWho5
Summary: -My Fic For The Sanders Sides 2019 Big Bang-What happens when Virgil and Patton adopt Roman, a child who also happens to be a monster from another world.Will Roman be able to find love in found family, or will the six year old never find friends and family that adore him like he deserves?After all, everyone can find a place that loves them right?





	1. The Begining

Patton carefully put the last box down on the counter in the kitchen. He smiled as he looked around their new home and went to find his husband. 

He found him standing in the living room, looking through one of the boxes. There was a fond, sentimental smile on his face; Patton assumed it was a box of family mementos and photos. 

He appeared to be correct as he saw Virgil holding a photo of himself with his parents back when Virgil was about 8. Patton smiled at the sight. “Hey, Virge?”

Virgil looked up at him. “Yes sweetheart?”

Patton looked at Virgil, “Just checking in on you, you kind of disappeared.” He sat down next to him and put his hand in his. He squeezed his hand in return. 

"Just looking through the box. There’s a certain photo that I wanted to find. It's of Grandma, Grandmommy, and me all together. I think it’s fair that we hang that photo up first, since they’re the reason we got this house in the first place." Virgil said fondly, smiling whenever he thought of his Grandma and Great-Grandma.

Patton nodded in agreement, gently smiling at Virgil's expression. 

The house used to belong to to Virgil's Great-Grandmother, or Grandmommy as Virgil had called her, and she’d wanted to give it to someone in the family. She and Virgil weren't ever particularly close, but Virgil and his Grandma (Grandmommy's daughter)  _ had _ been close since Virgil was young. The house was originally left to her, but she convinced her mother to leave it to Virgil and Patton since, in her words, "They need the house more. Especially since there is plenty of room to give me the great grandbabies I've always wanted." She added with a wink when she told Virgil what he had been left. 

Patton knew how much Virgil loved all of his family, and Patton loved them as well. Despite how different everybody was, there was so much love and respect for everyone. They even helped Patton get back on his feet, giving him a small job at the family bakery after Patton finished culinary school and when they came out as a couple, they were only met with respect and love, just as Virgil had expected. 

Patton was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard Virgil make a sound of satisfaction after pulling a picture frame out of the box. In the picture, Grandmommy was sitting in her wheelchair, a big smile on her face. Virgil was standing behind her, a small smile on his face. He was always more reserved in his expressions. A similar small smile was on his grandma's face. She was similar to Virgil in that both were more introverted, quiet types. One of a few in a mostly extroverted family. 

This was how they bonded. Especially when Virgil was really young. He had had a really hard time handling really loud noises, and his adoptive family could be very loud. 

Virgil smiled at the photo, a similar one to the one in the photo but more reminiscent. He got up and put the photo on the mantle, the first decoration in the house that was barren, as most of his great-grandmother’s things had been put into storage or given away. 

Patton got up and stood next to him as he did this, putting his hand on Virge's shoulder. 

"It looks absolutely amazing there." Virgil smiled and nodded in reply. He leaned into Patton slightly, who moved his arms so that they were wrapped around Virgil's waist. 

The house was larger than one that Virgil and Patton could have afforded on their own. It had a living room, a master bedroom and bath, three other bedrooms, and one bathroom on the first floor. On the bottom floor, there was a kitchen as well as a room that was used as a study. There was even a small library for crying out loud. 

They were beyond grateful for their inheritance and were so excited for the future in this house. Virgil smiled bittersweetly and Patton kissed his forehead.

"I miss her. We weren't really close, but she was always so accepting to everyone, to my parents, to us, to everyone, regardless of how they came. Even monsters when most were afraid when they started coming. She always loved everyone."

Monsters were creatures that came from another world. Most moved to the human world for a better life and some treated monsters with fear and hatred, but Virgil's family had always accepted them. Well, at least those who mattered. Of course, they expected no praise for this. This was their duty as humans, to love and accept everyone unless they did something absolutely awful. To only judge someone on actions, not on looks. 

Monsters in a legal sense had rights that were protected in most countries. They were able to become citizens of the country they immigrated to, able to be around others, and were supposed to be treated like humans. Of course this didn't always pan out, and there were many hate groups and those who would be judgemental and hurtful, but more people were kind and loving, and more progress was being made. 

Virgil and Patton, while not activists, supported giving monsters rights very much, and would do what they could. They, while not knowing what it was like directly, had been judged for things they couldn’t control. They didn't understand why others who had been through oppression would still hate others who were struggling. Why hate others with the same hate that was used against you?

Patton pondered this all, but then realized how late it was getting. He turned to Virgil, who had moved to another spot in the room, going through a different box from earlier. "Want to order a pizza then set up the bed? It's getting kind of late and we need our sleep." He reached his hand out for Virgil to take. 

Virgil nodded in agreement, taking a final look at the photo before placing his hand in Patton's. The two left to go up to the bedroom, excited for their future.

Little did they know that there was a little monster hiding under a bed in a spare room, a monster that would change their lives. 


	2. Strange Occurances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Strange things are happening in the sanders household.

Things were weird in the Sanders household.

It wasn't the people in it. No, Patton and Virgil were still strong, still hopelessly in love, happy together. They enjoyed their careers as a baker and a writer respectively, and they were content in life.

And the house itself was great. The house was structurally great after they had some renovations done (none too serious), and it was starting to feel like a home with all the photos and other things they had decorated it with. 

No, what was weird was a strange trend. 

Whenever they would leave one of their computers on, when they returned there would be a page pulled up to an adoption website. Similarly, there would be crude drawings of them with kids, placed around the house, this being pretty frequently. Then on their phones, fliers would be pulled up to adoption events. They also noticed how things like fruit snacks or pieces of bread would go missing every now and then. Not a lot, just a noticeable amount after a while, since both denied eating it. 

The adoption things confused Virgil. He and Patton were planning on adopting down the line, but they were thinking a couple more years in the future. Had Patton changed his mind? If so, why didn't he just tell him? 

Before he was able to ask Patton about this, Patton confronted him first. 

It was a Friday night after both had gotten off work. It had been a busy week and they had hardly gotten time to talk to each other. Virgil was sitting in the living room, Patton had gotten home a bit ago, and had come in. 

"Virge, do you know why adoption information has been showing up and other things like that? If you want to adopt now you can just tell me, we can talk about it." 

Virgil shook his head. "Actually I was going to ask you about it since the same thing has been happening to me. It's incredibly weird and I thought you were doing it." Patton shook his head no. They only talked about it a little more before dropping it. 

The incidents didn't stop and the two continued to have the conversations. One got a little bit angry. 

"Patton, are you sure it's not you? If you want kids just tell me instead of being so indirect!"

"Virgil, it isn't me. I'm just as confused as you are. You know I would tell you how I felt if I wanted kids. But are you sure that it's not you? Just tell me dearie!" 

This argument was interrupted when a tiny monster came bursting down the hallway with tears in his eyes, startling the two. The child fell onto his knees into a begging position, tears running down his face. 

Now this was unexpected. 

-

Roman was not doing well.

All he wanted was to scare a child, despite the fact that he was only 6 himself. But of course he was sent to the one house where there were no children in sight. He lived under the bed in a room that no one was using, a room that would be perfect for a child. But there was no kid!

This was evidently bad news for him and he needed the couple who lived here to have kids, and fast. But thankfully, Roman was not one to give up easily. 

So he made a plan, a plan to get the couple to adopt. This proved tough though as he couldn't talk to them. Everyone knew that Humans were horrible creatures who destroyed any monster who went out of their place and would put any monster through the worst possible Hell imaginable. Monsters Under The Bed, like Roman, who got caught were never heard from again.

But he needed to get the message across to the humans. So he used random markers and paper he found lying around to draw happy families to show how great kids are (or at least how families looked in the photos he'd seen). He then would use voice search on their laptops and phones to search up adoption events for them to see. And if he would occasionally steal food from their food pantry, then who would know the difference?

But none of it had worked. And now the couple was arguing which meant that they could break up and then there was no chance of him getting kids to scare!

So in an act of desperation, he left his hiding spot under the bed in one of the guest rooms to beg them to have kids.

So there he was on his knees, feeling tears in his eyes, begging them to have kids. 

"I'm sorry to disrupt you all but you have to have kids!! I'm just so hungry and I haven't eaten and I won't scare them too bad I just need you to have kids! Please I beg of you! Please!"

The men just stared down at him. He looked up at their eyes. The taller one left the room, saying something quietly to the other, this left the one who had black makeup under his eyes in the room with him. This person bent down to his level and tried to give a comforting smile. 

"Is it okay if I hug you buddy?" The man asked, though he didn't look like he really knew what he was doing. Roman nodded however, not wanting to make the man mad, despite not knowing what a hug was. 

The man wrapped his arms around Roman and began to rub circles into the child’s back, hoping to calm him. Roman froze up, causing the human to as well. Roman then relaxed, because this hug thing felt so nice. Virgil rubbed his back again, picking up where he had stopped. Roman's crying started again, only slowing down shortly after, finally letting it all out. 

"Do you feel a bit better?" The man asked and Roman nodded. It was only now that Roman started to take in the details of the living room and the man he was “hugging”.

The man was very tall, even taller than most of the adults he had seen before. His skin was light to medium brown and had a couple of freckles on his face. His hair was a slightly darker shade of brown with purple in the front. He was wearing black jeans, and a light purple shirt. He was chubby and very comfortable to cuddle. The man was very warm and smelled sweet, like the coffee adults at the factory drank but with sweet stuff in it. His shirt was made of a fabric that was incredibly soft to lay on, but it was then that Roman realized that his tears had stained Virgil’s shirt. 

Before he could say that he was sorry for getting his shirt wet, the other man came into the room. This man was even taller than the first. He had broad shoulders and was muscular but not in the six pack way that Roman had seen in the magazines. His stomach was toned. He looked incredibly strong, like he could lift both Roman and the man with the eyeliner under his eyes with ease. His skin was slightly tan and he had freckles covering his body. His hair was a medium brown color with light blue on top. He was wearing a light blue shirt that was a similar color to his hair. His eyes were a light brown. He had a smile that was comforting, reassuring even.   
  


He looked at Roman and smiled that gentle smile. He was holding a water bottle, which he handed to Roman.    
  
"I got you some water and I made some oatmeal for you to have, but I left that in the kitchen." He then looked up at the other. "Virgil can you take him to the kitchen? I put some books on the chair so that he can reach the top."   
  
The man, Virgil, nodded and soon Roman was being held in the air, which prompted the monster to cling to the human even tighter, slightly scared that Virgil would suddenly become cruel and drop Roman to the ground.    
  
That didn't happen however, and soon Roman was placed on a chair in the kitchen. Even with the books he was still too short if he didn't sit up. He didn't mind it, however, as he was soon distracted by the wonderful smell of oatmeal.    
  
That was strange to him, as he had often eaten the food when he was small and he never remembered it having a great taste or smell. But this one had the lovely scent of cinnamon, brown sugar, and maple syrup. It was absolutely amazing.    
  
The taller one put the bowl on the table, and then handed Roman a spoon. Roman was hesitant at first, but then proceeded to dig in. He began eating fast, only for Virgil to speak.   
  
"Slow down for a second, you can make yourself sick."    
  
Roman only slowed down a little bit.    
  
He finished shortly afterwards. When he was done, the men started speaking to him.    
  
"So I know you are probably tired but we need you to answer some questions,” the taller one said as he sat down in the chair next to Roman. Virgil sat on the other side of him.    
  
"Let's start with names. I'm Patton and the one across from me is my husband, Virgil. What's your name kiddo?"   
  
Roman hesitated. He had been told since he was little that if he ever got caught that he couldn't ever give his name. But these men seemed very nice, and they had even given him food. He debated this in his head before finally responding.   
  
"I'm Roman."   
  
The other two nodded. Then Virgil spoke up. "Roman, that's a nice name." His face then got a bit more serious. "So Roman, how did you get here?"    
  
"Well, I'm part of The Company." Both men gave him a confused look, which, ironically, confused Roman. Doesn't everyone know about The Company?   
  
"You know, The Company? The one that sends monsters out to hide under the beds and scare kids? I thought everyone knew about it!"   
  
Patton's face became upset but his voice became softer.   
  
"It's actually not common knowledge here kiddo. Can you tell us more about it and how you ended up there? Not to be rude but you seem young. How old are you? Where are your parents?"   
  
"I'm six and I never met my parents. Like a lot of the other kids there, my parents left me at The Company when I was really young. When you turn 2, they start teaching you how to scare kids and how the world works. Then when you’re about six, they send you out."    
  
Patton and Virgil looked shocked. "So they make you work?" Virgil said, horror expressed on his face.    
  
Roman just shrugged. "I guess? It's not bad, they give you shelter and food every now and then. And when you get sent out, they give you food after you scare enough kids."   
  
"Wait," Patton said as he moved his chair closer to Roman. "Food is given as a reward to you, not as a necessity?"   
  
Roman nodded, confused why the adults looked so upset. "You all look upset. Did I say something bad?"   
  
Virgil and Patton quickly recovered, reassuring him that they weren't upset at him.    
  
"We aren't mad at you. We’re just mad at the shi-" Virgil paused and looked at Patton who was glaring at him. "-bad, horrible circumstances you were brought up in. That was horrible to you kiddo, that's a horrible way to be treated." He then paused for a moment, "How do they even know when you've scared kids? Also why not tell them that there was a mistake?"   
  
Roman gestured to a wristband that he wore. "The wristband has a sensor in it and it marks everytime I scare a kid. And I have no way of talking to them without scaring kids since they won’t contact me unless I do my job, so I haven't seen them in a few months, I think. It's been ever since you guys got here."   
  
The duo’s eyes went wide. "Roman, that was months go. How long has it been since you've had an actual meal?"    
  
Roman shrugged again. "I've been taking some snacks, which I'm sorry for. I was just really really hungry!" He got scared again at the end. 

He saw the two adults share a look. Roman was scared what it meant. He thought that it looked determined but he couldn't be sure. 

"Roman?" Patton's voice was sweet and gentle. Roman looked up at him. 

"I know that it's scary, but would it be okay if you stayed with us for a few days while we figure out how to help you? As a guest, of course. You can say in one of the guest bedrooms."

Roman nodded his head enthusiastically before he could think this through. The two adults smiled at him. 

"That’s wonderful. Can you show us where you have been? Like, where have you been hiding?" said Virgil, standing up. Roman got up and walked next to him. Virgil looked down at him. "Is it alright if I carry you?"

Roman agreed and Virgil picked him up. Patton trailed behind him and the two went upstairs, Roman pointing out the bedroom down the hall from the master bedroom. 

"I arrived here, and I stayed under the bed. I would leave of course but that’s where I stayed most of the time."

"That must have been awful Roman." Virgil sighed. 

Roman gave a sad smile. "It wasn't too bad, I've been in worse places."

Virgil decided not to ask quite yet as Roman looked tired and he didn't want to exhaust him even more. 

Patton looked at a clock and realized the time. "Oh, it's almost time for dinner. I'm making pasta." He turned to Roman. "I'm sure you'll enjoy it, but are there any foods you hate or can't eat?"

Roman shook his head no. He was never picky. Granted, he never had many options to choose from back in the monster world.

Patton got an idea. "Virgil, why don't you help Roman clean up, and then by the time you guys are done, dinner should be ready."

Virgil nodded in agreement. 

While Roman wasn't filthy, he did have a covering of dirt and dust over him from staying under the bed for so long. His hair, by some miracle, wasn't too knotted and his fur wasn't long enough to knot up really. However, there was dirt caught in his fur, which was pretty itchy, Roman had to admit. 

Virgil brought Roman into the bathroom. 

"Alright Roman, I understand if you are uncomfortable, so I am going to ask, is it okay if I give you a bath? I can just bring in a towel and the things you need for the bath and you can do it yourself, but I can help you if you need."

Roman was fine with it, mostly because he had never had a bath before. In the monster world, you were put under a shower and given a couple minutes to rinse off as soon as you were old enough to handle it on your own. 

"Can you help me? Only if you want."\

Virgil nodded and Roman took off the rags he had been given for clothes, throwing them on the floor. However Virgil picked them up as if they were made of gold and folded them into a neat pile which he put on the counter. 

Virgil turned on the water, getting it warm but not too hot. He put the plug in the drain. 

"Do you want to make this a bubble bath?"

Roman nodded excitedly. He had heard of those but had never had one. Virgil took out the bubble bath that was made for sensitive skin (he wouldn’t admit this to anyone but Patton, but the bubble bath mixture was for himself on self care days) and put it in the water. After it filled up a bit, Roman got in.

Bath time went smoothly, Virgil asking Roman what things he liked, such as shapes (stars), colors (red is absolutely gorgeous), and what his favorite scent is ("Whatever the smell of this bath is," Roman said chuckling, making Virgil laugh in return).

After the bath was over, Virgil gave Roman a towel (which was one of the fluffiest things Roman had ever felt) and left for a moment, only to return with pajamas. 

"These are very worn as these use to be mine when I was a little younger than you. Granted, you are smaller than I was when I was six so these will probably fit." He gave Roman the shirt and pajama bottoms. Roman put the pajamas on. The pants fit well but the shirt was slightly too big, but that just made it more comfortable. 

Virgil led him to sit in a chair in one of the guest bedrooms. Virgil grabbed a brush on the way there and started to brush the knots out of Roman's hair. There was a rough patch where there was a particularly large knot, but besides that Virgil was gentle.

"You are so gentle! People usually pull my hair as painfully as possible." 

Virgil chuckled. "I'm incredibly tender headed myself. My parents had to learn how to brush my hair in a way that didn't make me cry. I learned from them." 

Roman nodded to the story, smiling at that. 

When they were done, Virgil took him to the kitchen, where Patton was finishing up dinner. 

"Hello! I made a pasta dish that has some tomato sauce, vegetables, some chicken, and a lot of cheese. Virgil, can you get us some plates?"

Virgil nodded and set the table. He pulled out a pitcher of sweet tea. He sent Roman a wink. "It's a secret family recipe. It's why it's the best sweet tea you'll have anywhere." 

Roman smiled excitedly and Virgil smiled back. The trio ate together and enjoyed Patton’s meal. 

After dinner, they moved to the living room, where they watched something, deciding on  _ Steven Universe _ . Roman was immediately enthralled by the colors and characters, loving everyone of them almost immediately. 

“Who’s your favorite so far, kiddo?” Patton asked as he and Virgil walked Roman to the bedroom, one which had been cleaned and wasn’t as dusty as the one Roman arrived in. It wasn’t decorated yet, but it was so much better than what Roman had come in. 

“Hmm,” Roman hummed as he was set down on top of the bed. “I don’t know, they are all so cool. I really like Steven though, but Garnet is so powerful and level headed.” 

The adults both nodded. “That’s understandable, but my favorite is Pearl. She has sense.” Virgil chuckles dryly.

Patton rolled his eyes affectionately but smiled, “Mine is Amethyst. She enjoys puns and I relate.”

Virgil chuckled slightly. “Of course she is.”

Roman had moved under the covers. Though it was the summer, the air conditioning was cold in the house, making it great to lay under the blanket.

Patton tucked Roman in and held his hand. “Virgil and I are right across the hall if you need us okay? Just knock and we’ll be there. Try to get some sleep kiddo.” Patton got up, Virgil walking behind him.

“Night kid.”

“Goodnight kiddo.” 

“Night Patton, goodnight Virgil.”

They then left, the door still being open just a tiny bit. 

Roman smiled and for the first time in a while he slept well. Well, almost. 


	3. Tender Love and Care

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman has a nightmare. Also Patton and Virgil make a decision.

Patton had awoken to Virgil cuddling into him from behind. He looked down and saw Roman curled against Virgil, startling him at first. Then he recalled all of what happened yesterday as well as what happened the night before.

_ Patton had woken up around 3am, thirsty. He went downstairs to get a glass of water. On his way back up, he heard a noise coming from the guest room. He was startled at first, but then he remembered that Roman was in there.  _

_ He went closer to the door, and he realized that the noise was crying, though it was faint. He knocked on the door quietly, he spoke just as softly.  _

_ "Roman?" The noise stopped completely.  _

_ "I'm coming in Roman."  _

_ Patton opened the door and walked inside, sitting down on Roman's bed. _

_ Roman had curled up into a tight ball right where the pillow met the cover. However, the blanket was wrapped around him tightly. Said child was looking down and though it was dark, Roman could see that Roman's eyes were red.  _

_ "What's wrong, kiddo? Did something happen?" _

_ Roman shook his head. "It's nothing Patton, I'm sorry for interrupting you. I'm so sorry." _

_ Patton grabbed his hand. "I assure you, you aren't interrupting anything. I was up anyway to get water. I just happened to hear you" _

_ Roman nodded. "Okay, sorry for being loud." _

_ "Roman don't apologize for that. I'm here to listen."  _

_ Roman looked away but nodded. "I just had a bad dream." _

_ Patton nodded, "Do you want to talk about it?" _

_ Roman shook his head no. "I don't wanna."  _

_ Patton nodded again. "That's okay, I won't make you. Would it help if you were with me and Virge? It always helps me if I’m with someone when I have a bad dream." _

_ Roman looked apprehensive.  _

_ "Of course if you’d rather not there’s other ways to help with nightmares, trust me." _

_ Roman shook his head. "No, being with you guys could be nice, just..." Roman paused for a second. "Promise that there’s gonna be no hitting?"  _

_ Patton looked shocked but nodded his head. "I promise you on my soul that we won't hurt you at all."  _

_ Roman seemed to accept that and he let Patton carry him into the bedroom. _

_ Patton placed him on the edge of the bed where he would be able to give Roman space in case he became overwhelmed. Patton laid down.  _

_ "If you need anything Roman, please wake me or Virgil up. We promise we won’t be mad." _

_ Roman nodded and then fell asleep soon. Patton only drifting off after being sure Roman was asleep once more. _

Patton got up and quietly left the room, going to make breakfast for Roman and Virgil. He went downstairs to the kitchen and got out the ingredients, deciding to surprise them with chocolate chip pancakes. It was Sunday, which typically meant pancakes for the couple. 

Eventually he heard louder footsteps come down the stairs being followed by quieter ones. 

"Morning Virge! Morning Kiddo! I'm making us some pancakes!"

Virgil gave the smallest of smiles but groaned and grimaced at the sunshine. Patton chuckled and handed Virgil a cup of coffee he had made, which had a good bit of cream and sugar. Virgil gratefully accepted and started to sip at it. He began to wake up slowly and he felt the caffeine start to kick in by the time he was done. Eventually, he moved to the cabinet where they kept the plates and started to set the table as Patton finished up the last pancakes. When he was done, he set the orange juice out for them to drink. 

Roman looked around the kitchen in amazement. Yesterday he had been a little out of it. He seemed much more alert than he did yesterday. He offered to help Virgil set the table and tried to take a plate but Virgil assured him that it was okay if he didn't. Roman nodded nervously, still a little frightened that he would overstep any boundaries. 

Soon enough breakfast was completely ready and Patton put a large stack of pancakes on the table. 

"Hey Patton?"

"Yeah Virge?"

"Pan cake!"

Patton began to laugh incredibly hard. "No Virge, it was more like pancacke!"

Virgil started to laugh even harder. "No it was like panncake!!" 

By the time they were done both were laughing messes. Roman stared at them, confusion written in his facial features. 

Patton noticed this and just chuckled. "It's a long story Roman. We’ll tell you about it later."

Roman nodded and decided to just go along with it for now. 

Patton finally gave him a pancake, and Roman was hesitant at first. He hadn't had pancakes before. Wat if he hated them? What if he didn't like them and it made Patton and Virgil think he was ungrateful? What if he didn't eat any and they got mad at him? Eventually, he decided to just go ahead and try it and hope that he liked it 

Roman tried one and oh.

_ Oh. _

This had to be one of the most delicious things Roman had ever eaten. The chocolate and maple syrup was sweet and it was incredibly warm and fluffy. He started to eat more and when he finished he saw the two adults looking at him. He started to feel self conscious, worried he did something wrong but Virgil just smiled humorously.

"I see you like pancakes. Did you have those back in the monster world?"

Roman shook his head. "No, we didn't eat anything this nice there! This is so good! How do you make them?" 

Patton smiled at him. "Well glad you can try them. And I can show you how next time I make them, okay Roman?"

Roman nodded enthusiastically and Patton handed him another pancake.

Soon, breakfast was done and Patton went to wash Roman up while Virgil cleaned up the kitchen. 

Roman looked at himself in the mirror and he was amazed at what one day of care can do.

He was still very small, but for the first time in a while he genuinely looked clean. His eyes, one red and one brown and just the smallest bit bigger than a human’s, didn’t have as dark of an area around them. His skin and fur, which was only slightly thicker than the hair on a human's body, and was bright red, didn't feel gross and icky. The brown hair that was a bit natural red at the top felt nice and soft. His teeth, with ever so slightly sharper canine teeth, didn’t feel icky after Patton helped him brush them.

Patton chuckled, “Amazing what some TLC can do.”

Roman tilted his head. “What does that stand for?”

“Tender Love and Care.”

Roman nodded, smiling.

The day continued on like this. They gave Roman a small comfortable outfit Virgil had had as a kid. They would probably take Roman shopping for some clothes in a couple of days. They then spent time together, Virgil stepping out eventually to contact a social worker, eventually contacting one who specializes in special cases involving monsters. He told her about the circumstances they had found Roman in and she only seemed slightly surprised. She said this was slightly time sensitive so she made an appointment for the next day, and that’s when they would meet and talk about what was best for Roman. 

Virgil finished talking to her and and went back to the living room where his husband and Roman were sitting. Patton was currently showing Roman the rules to  _ Go Fish  _ and Roman nodded along, clearly interested. 

Virgil sat down and watched intently, obviously playing up his investment, commentating on the game aloud and making witty comments.

“Ooh Roman is able to make a come back with the fours. Who would have seen it coming?!” He said, only partly joking.

Patton smirked and started to up the dramatics, which only maked Roman laugh and smile.

“Do you have any fives?” Roman asked, holding back his laughter. Patton faked offense and handed Roman one, meaning Roman had won the game.

“You won! I have been beaten by the great Roman! Give him a cheer, humble audience!”

Virgil give a uncharacteristically loud “Yeah!” to convey the sentiment. Roman blushed and smiled wide, a proud look on his face. 

Soon enough, it was the end of the day and after another dinner was given and they watched a show together, they tucked Roman into bed and left a lamp on for him once again, though they agreed that after the appointment with the social worker they would go shopping and they could get a nightlight for Roman if he stayed longer. They said goodnight one last time and left for their room, where they lay together, talking for a while.

“Patton?” Patton looked towards Virgil. They were currently cuddling and he thought Virgil had already fallen asleep. Virgil was staring at him deeply, something obviously on his mind.

“Yes Virgil?” He gripped the other’s hand, making a circle with his thumb on the back of the other’s hand, the repetitive nature of the action being a comfort to the other. 

“If it’s at all possible tomorrow, I want to keep Roman here. It’s…” He looked away. “Not a good world out there for monsters, and I think we know about that, with what we’ve been through.” 

Patton nodded. “I agree Virge. I mean we’ve been approved to adopt recently, back when we were still trying.” A sad look came over his eyes. 

Virgil gripped his hand. “There may be different steps with adopting a monster than there is with adopting a human.” Virgil shook his head, “I hope we can be there for him. He deserves to be in a good home.”

Patton nodded. “I know sweetheart. We’ll see what we can do, ‘cause I want to be there for him so much. I’ve only known him for like a day and a half and I care about him so much.”

Virgil kissed his forehead. They talked a little more before eventually falling asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh look, some plot ~


	4. Welcome Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a very long wait (Well it felt like one) Roman is can call himself their son (if he wants too)

Virgil looked in the mirror, nervously adjusting his jacket. Not his normal “patchwork” jacket, but a nicer one, which was a very dark purple. He was wearing a light purple dress shirt with black pants and shoes. His eye makeup wasn’t present, wanting to look as nice as possible.

Patton was currently talking to Roman in the other room. Hopefully, he had finished getting Roman ready. They had bought the child some clothes, some of which were casual and others that were nicer. They were stretched for time so they couldn’t go on a full shopping trip, but it would do.

Currently, they were heading to a social worker who specialized in cases such as these. There were special protocols as, while these cases weren’t exactly common, this wasn’t by any chance the first one. 

Both wanting to adopt the young monster, they had looked into it, and had found that adoption was possible. However, it was a long process and would take a long time for it all to be finalized, thankfully since they were already approved to adopt it wouldn’t take as long as it could have otherwise. 

Virgil left the room after checking himself once more. He went to check up on his husband and Roman. He went down the hallway to find them sitting in the living room, almost ready to go. Patton was tying Roman's new shoes, promising to teach Roman as soon as possible. Roman smiled at him as he entered. Patton picked him up and took him to the car. 

They put Roman into a booster seat. They had borrowed it from Patton's coworker who had offered to drop it off after telling her only a little about what happened.

They got halfway to the place when Patton and Virgil started to ask Roman if he wanted to stay with them. However they were interrupted by Roman.

“Mr. Patton and Mr. Virgil...can I stay with you guys? You don't have to let me, but you’re the nicest people and your house is really cool!” Roman looked scared, and anticipation for disaster was written all over his face. His voice sounded incredibly small, like he was waiting for the two to laugh at him or call him stupid. 

This broke Virgil's heart, and while Patton's eyes were glued to the road, he could see that his tone alone was able to hurt Patton's heart as well.

This caused a swirl of protective energy to be felt for the child and Virgil turned back to him and smiled.

Roman physically braced himself, scared of what Virge would say.

“We were actually going to ask you the same thing Roman. We would happily have you here with us.” He said calmly, but with a bit of encouragement.

Roman’s eyes went wide, a look of disbelief written on his face. 

“Really, you want to live with me? Even though I'm not a human like you guys?”

Virgil nodded his head. “That doesn't matter Roman, we care about you and we want to take care of you. You're a good kid.”

Roman smiled and looked up at the two with hope and excitement in his heart for once in his life.

Adoption was not simple like Roman thought it would be. 

Though the process was slightly sped up as Patton and Virgil were already approved to adopt, they still had to fill out enough paperwork that even Patton would admit gave them a headache, as well as many other things that Roman didn’t understand. (To be fair, he didn’t really understand why he couldn’t just be with Patton and Virgil instantly, he just wanted to stay with them since they were so kind.)

But sadly he couldn’t stay with them, so he had to live in a group home until Patton and Virgil were able to have custody. 

The group home wasn’t bad. However, there were a lot of kids, some of which had taken a liking to making fun of Roman for his less than human characteristics. The overworked caretakers did their best to stop this, but there was only so much they could do, especially since Roman was too scared to speak to them.

He was honestly still a bit frightened by people. Sure, Patton and Virgil were kind, but those were only two people against the stories he had been told hundreds of times. Then there were the aforementioned bullies who only added to this fear. Regardless, his time in this group home was relatively brief, lasting only a couple of weeks. 

The day he got to go back to Patton and Virgil wasn’t bright and sunny. It was overcast all day and it was incredibly windy, uncharacteristically windy even. There was also a traffic jam which caused Patton and Virgil to be late to picking him up, by nearly three hours. 

But eventually they got there, walking up to the doorstep of the group home, slightly damp from walking in the rain but smiling, a smile which only brightened when they saw Roman with his small vanity bag, where he was keeping the clothes he had been given. Roman smiled up at them, incredibly excited to be able to go back to the house. He was about to run to them, but he was stopped by the woman running the group home, Ms.Till, who put a hand on his shoulder to keep him still. 

The two men looked up at the worker. 

Virgil smiles and stuck out his hand to her, “Virgil Sanders. I presume you’re Tamara Till, we spoke on the phone yesterday?”

Ms. Till smiled, “Yes, I am her. I’m glad you can make it here, traffic was incredibly crazy I heard. Come inside, there’s a couple of more papers for you two to sign and then we can send you on your way.” 

The two entered the building, Ms. Till holding Roman’s hand to guide him to the correct location. They came to an office room, where there was one chair outside the door. 

“Roman, you can sit here while we finish up your paperwork. Do not worry, this should not take long.”

Roman nodded as she entered the room, Virgil and Patton trailing behind her, though Patton did stop for one brief moment to blow Roman a kiss, which caused the small child to giggle. Patton smiled and then entered the room with the two others. 

-

Virgil smiled as he went down the road as they pulled up to their house. 

It was now 9:30 in the evening, much later than they had planned to get there. However, they had no control of the traffic. 

Roman sat asleep in the back seat, secured into his booster seat that they had bought for him. Patton was in the passenger seat, having been going in and out of a conscious state for the last hour or so, occasionally waking up to make sure Virge was awake and to see how far they were from home. 

Finally, they were there. Virgil parked his car in the driveway. The stop had caused Patton to become awake again, looking slightly dazed. 

“We’re finally home, I feel like we’ve been driving for  _ hours. _ ”

Virgil chuckled, “I mean technically we were. But only a couple thankfully.” He turned around to wake Roman up but he found that the child had already awakened. 

Roman had woken up from the talking, and looked around confused for a moment before remembering that he was with Virgil and Patton.

Virgil and Patton walked to the back of the car. Patton picked up Roman’s small bit of luggage while Virgil undid Ro’s seatbelt and picked him up. Roman looked at the starry night sky and the house, yet for some reason it didn’t register in his head.

“Where are we?”

Patton chuckled affectionately, while Virgil snorted. 

“We’re home kiddo.”


	5. Too Cool

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman’s first day of school! Results may vary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> T/W: Bullying (I’ll put more in depth trigger warnings in the end notes)

Life with Patton and Virgil continued happily and without too much excitement for the next few weeks.

However it was now time for school. Roman was going to start first grade, only being able to as he had been taught basic skills by Virgil and Patton (the former teaching him how to read basic words as well as teaching him the alphabet, and the latter, who was good at math from having to do a lot of accounting for his business, taught him basic math, like simple addition).

It was the night before school started. He was going to bed a little early and Virgil was tucking him in. The bedroom had been decorated a good bit, there was now a red carpet as well as a desk and a bookshelf that had many books. There was also a lot more toys, some were hand me downs, and some were new ones Patton and Virgil had bought him. They were all put away in the corner, neatly. Next to the bed was a bedside table with a lamp on it, the lamp shade being white with the base being red.

VIrgil smiled as he tucked him in. “While you have to go to bed a bit early tonight, we do have time for one story. And I think I know one that you're gonna love."

Roman nodded, excited for the story. Virgil told the best stories, his voice always carrying the story in an engaging way. HIs voice often was one of the better parts. He also had figured out that Roman loved fairy tales, specifically ones with Princes. Since tomorrow was such an important day, he chose a story with a Prince that Roman would love as well as be inspiring, or at least he hoped it would.

Virgil's telling the story began, his voice nice, even, and soothing, as this was to help Roman fall asleep. 

_ Long ago in a Kingdom far from here lived a brave Prince who lived in a gigantic castle with his many older siblings. The kingdom was gorgeous: there were many trees , plants, and waterfalls that provided food and water for the subjects. His castle was filled to the brim with riches and jewels, yet he had failed to feel satisfied. Though his jewels were pretty and he could obtain anything he could ever dream, he felt a longing in his chest. This affected his duties as a Prince as his saddened mental state led him to not be the Prince his people deserved. He decided to ask his two advisors on what he should do. _

_ Both advisors said that he should go out and explore, to try something, however they disagreed on what the prince should do once he left the kingdom. _

_ One advisor said to go out to find the greatest riches imaginable. To get those riches and bring them back to the kingdom. This was the best possible way to become happy. _

_ The other advisor said to the Prince that he should go out and try to meet people. To learn other ways of life and if he found someone who brought him joy, and to have them come back home with him. _

_ So the Prince started on his journey, saying goodbye to his older siblings and parents. He rode past the plants and waterfalls and whispered a goodbye. He waved at his subjects as he left, letting them know that he would return an even better Prince. He would miss them all of course, but he knew that when the time came, he would return an even better Prince.  _

As Virgil was continuing his story, he heard small snores coming from the child. He looked down and saw Roman fast asleep and he looked like he wouldn't be waking up again until the morning. Virgil smiled at the sight and quietly got up, turning off the lamp to the one on the bed side table. He kissed Roman on the forehead and quietly closed the door.

-

It was now the next day, the first day of school. Roman had already met his teacher at the schools open house night, it was now a matter of starting the day.

He got in the car with both of his parents. Virgil driving while Patton sat in the passenger seat. As they pulled up to the school building, Roman began to become nervous. He wasn't sure how he would do in school. In the group home he wasn't able to get along with other kids that well, so what if the kids here were also like that? Regardless, it was now time to go inside. They parked the car and the two adults walked Roman inside.

"It’s time for your first day Roman. Are you excited?"

Roman smiled. "Kind of? It's weird. I feel excited, more excited then when we got here but I still feel a nervousness in my stomach, like a ball that refused to bounce away.”

Virgil nodded, "I understand that. Sometimes you feel mixed emotions to something and that's okay." He knelt down to Roman's level. "What’s important is that you get into the classroom and do your best. " He got up and Patton then kneeled down next to him. "And remember to learn something and have fun! And try to talk to other kids during recess or lunch, there's probably at least one other kid whose new here and maybe you can be their friend!"

Roman nodded and smiled. He felt a lot less nervous. Patton and Virgil kissed him on the forehead and Roman began his fateful walk inside.

-

Roman walked into the lunch room, not sure where to sit. All the kids had their own spots and friend groups already. Or at least had people from the previous school year to catch up with. 

He was hesitant to sit with a lot of the kids, nearly every kid gave him a strange look when he entered the classroom. There were apparently very few other monsters in this school other than a few students and some members of the staff. However no one was openly mean so it confused Roman why it bothered him. Regardless, he was planning on making at least one friend, though he was nervous to do so. 

So Roman was left alone, looking all around for a place to sit. He then finally spotted a kid who was sitting by themselves. Roman recognized them as one of the few kids who didn’t give Roman a weird look, or whisper when Ro entered the room. They seemed to be sitting alone, eating the not very good pizza that the school was serving. They didn’t seem very happy and he could see other students giving them weird looks too. 

_ Maybe they are different like me. Maybe they want a friend too? _

Roman went to the table and sat across from them, prompting the kid to look up in surprise. Roman smiled at him in return. 

“Greetings! I’m Roman. What’s your name?”

The kid looked down nervously. “I’m Elliott.”

Roman was excited that the kid had talked to him, “It’s great to meet you Elliott.” He looked over and saw a few other kids looking at them, saying something, and then laughing. This confused Roman. 

“Why are they laughing at us? We didn’t do anything.”

Elliott shrugged and looked up. “My mom says it happens because some people don’t like people who are different. Some will make fun of them because of that, hoping the different will go away or will act the same as them. And I guess you talking to me is them making fun of each other.”

Roman gave them a look, “But you don’t seem different? You look like a human like them.”

Elliott stared down at the floor again, this time nervous. “I’m doing what my mom and dad call my ‘Gender Exploration’. It started when I told my mom I wanted to wear a dress. She understood and we talked about how I felt and realized that it may be good for me to explore gender and things like that. I tried to hide it from the school but my mom told my old teacher and she told the whole class that I use they/them pronouns and that I’m different from everyone else.”

  
Roman looked shocked. “I don’t know how most of this works, but it sounds very rude. But that doesn’t explain why no one would talk to you.”

Elliott shrugs. “Most of these kids are actually pretty understanding. It’s just the mean ones who call me the wrong pronouns and say mean things about me. The other kids just don’t want to talk to me because they are scared of being made fun of too. Which I understand.” 

Roman shook his head. “I’m sorry Eliliot. Well I‘ll be your friend!”

Elliott looked surprised, “You will? But it could be scary, people will be mean to you too.”

Roman smiled, “Well I’m a prince, and princes do scary things!’

“Like what?”   
  


Roman thinks for a moment, “Like... Fight a Dragon...Witch!”

Elliott stared at him. “A dragon witch?”

Roman nodded. “Yes! One of the most terrifying enemies, a Dragon Witch. The power of a dragon with all the magic stuff of a witch. A villain not just anyone can take on.”

“Can you beat it?”

Roman smiled brightly, “Of course! WIth your help!

And for the first time, Elliott gave a huge smile.

-

After lunch ended the two kids spent the time that they could together. Their desks were sadly not next to each other, but they were able to play with each other at recess. 

“You’re really excited to play with this playground stuff? Did they not have it at your old school?”   
  
Roman shook his head. “No, I didn’t go to school. I’m not from here, at all. I only got to come here because my parents taught me how to read and do some math.”

  
Elliott looked surprised but shrugged nonetheless. “That’s cool. Well my favorite is the swings because you can just chill on those and still be able to talk to people.”

Roman nodded excitedly. “I’m excited to try it!”

So they played on the swings, laughing and talking to each other. 

After recess ended, they went back to class. They didn’t learn much that day, in class at least. Mostly because it was only the first day of school and it was just supposed to help the kids get adjusted to the new schedule. 

When the day ended, Roman waited for Elliott so that they could walk to the carpool lane together. Roman would be picked up by Virgil most days, except in the rare chance that no one was able to pick Roman up. 

However on their way there, Elliott was pushed down by someone. The two looked up and saw a group of older kids standing over them. 

“Hey look! It’s two freaks. The kid whose too dumb to know his own gender and an actual monster walking around with humans.”

Roman remembered his dad saying to ignore bullies if they talked to him. Elliott seemed to have the same idea as they kept walking as well.

“Hey we’re talking to you losers! What’s the deal with you all?” said one, looking menacingly. From his position in the center, he was likely the leader. He was in the middle in height out of the three. He wore a red shirt with blue jeans.

“Yeah, are you two deaf too?!” Said a second. He was the tallest. He had a blue shirt with matching blue jeans as the first.

“Wouldn't surprise me. They seem pretty dumb.” Said the third and final one. He had on a green shirt, and the same blue jeans? Was this some type of blue jean gang?

Before they could keep walking, the blue shirt grabbed Roman’s arm and pushed him against the wall, knocking Roman down. “You must be new here. When someone talks to you, you respond. Did they not teach that in the monster world, or did your  _ dads _ not feel the need to teach you?”

Roman looked confused, why was he mentioning his dads? They weren’t part of this.

Roman didn’t know what to say, he hadn’t had to deal with this before. He didn’t want his new friend to get hurt. He saw one of the others about to grab Elliott from behind when they were focusing on Roman. 

“Ell! Run! He’s right behind you!”

Elliott sprang into action and turned around, dodging in time and running down the hall and hiding behind a corner, and stared at the scene. The gang gave up on them after they ran away and instead focused all their attention on Roman. This would be a good time for Elliott to go to their car and get away and not speak of the incident. 

However, something woke inside Elliott. A need to protect, a need to help. In their short time of living, they had felt very little need to tell adults about all the mean things kids would do. Especially to teachers, after the incident with the teacher being cruel. Because of this, there was little ever reported about what the Blue Jeans gang did.

Yet, for some reason, something came over Elliott, a need to protect their first friend perhaps? Or maybe a wanting to fight back against the boys who had made such a young child’s experience awful? Is it how loyalty to kind people is easy to form when you are this young? Either way it was then that Elliott decided that they had to do something. 

As they went to get a teacher they noticed a security camera stand above the group of bullies. They were looking away and inside their child brain, they felt it was very important that their face was in the camera. So they grabbed a water bottle out of their bag and threw it against the wall, gaining the attention of the bullies and Roman, who were now yelling at the small, young child, one having even kicked him and pushed him before the distraction.

As soon as the bottle was thrown, Elliott ran to the carpool lane at the front of the school where there were teachers watching over it. Elliott ran to the counselor, who was on watch duty since a teacher was unable to, and started to tell them that Roman was in danger. Elliott then started to cry, heavy tears running down their face. The counselor ran to where Elliott had said. 

  
The Blue Jean Gang were currently shaking Roman, laughing at him and insulting him, not noticing the adult coming up on them.

“Excuse me young men, what are you doing here with these younger kids?” she said with her arms crossed. 

“Nothing, Ms. Perlson.” Said the leader, trying to pull faux charm.

“It sure didn’t look like ‘nothing’.” She looked at Roman and Elliott. “You two go out to meet with your parents. We will call them later to find a time so that this can be discussed with all parents,” she looked directly at the trio, “can have this discussed.”

Elliot and Roman began to walk away, overhearing her say, “And you three, I am calling your parents tonight and we are looking at the security footage. This behavior is unacceptable.”

“What do you mean it’s unacceptable. We’re trying to make them less weird. Maybe if they were more normal than their real parents would have wanted them.” Said the leader in a defensive tone. 

After that Roman couldn’t hear the conversation anymore. Not that he wanted to. Tears started running down his face though as he kept walking.

As they were finally about to exit the doors, Ell turned to Roman.

“I’m sorry.”

Roman gave him a surprised look. “Don’t be sorry. You didn’t hurt anyone. And you got help even though it was probably scary. Like a knight!”

And with that Roman opened the doors.

-

Virgil was a nervous wreck Roman’s first day of school.

Don’t get him wrong, he had utter faith that Roman could do well. Roman was incredibly smart and resilient. He did well with tutoring and if he ever needed more help, he and Patton would be happy to help him or find people who could.

What worried him was other kids. Roman was the sweetest child, and had this been another world, Roman would be friends with most kids.

But Roman looked different then most kids and Virgil remembered childhood. He remembered how kids could be cruel when they didn’t understand things.

However he tried to hide this from Roman, Roman didn’t need him projecting his anxieties.

Plus he knew that more likely than not that Roman would make at least one friend. The kid was very friendly, and his mama had always said that having one good friend would probably be better for him then having a bunch of okay friends.

He had mostly gotten over his fears by the time he had to pick Roman up. He was eager to see the kid and speak to him. 

That was until he saw Roman walk out with another kid, tears on both of their faces. 

Virgil had been waiting outside the school and he immediately ran over to Roman.

“Ro, what’s wrong buddy? Did something happen?”

“There were mean kids, and they pushed me and made fun of Elliott and me! They were mean Virgil! Super mean!”

The other kid, Virgil assumed Elliott, looked down shyly. 

“Other kids were mean? That’s horrible, neither of you should have to go through that. We’ll talk to the counselor and then the other kids’ parents. They don’t get to hurt you like that.”

Roman nodded, lifting his hands up, non verbally asking to be picked up. Virgil obliged, lifting him up and putting him on his side. He turned to Elliott. 

“Hey kid, I’m Virgil, Roman’s dad. Do you have parents who will show up soon? We can wait for them so you won’t be alone when they find out what happened.”

Elliott nodded frantically, still distressed. However, they paused after a second, getting nervous. 

“You don’t have to do that Mr. Virgil. It’s my fault that Roman got hurt.”

Virgil was about to ask how, but Roman interjected.

“No it’s not. I told them that it’s not their fault that people are mean to others because of stupid things like gender and looks! They did nothing wrong! All they did was be nice!” He then looks desperately at Virgil. “Please let me still be their friend!”

Virgil thought for a brief second. It was starting to come together in his head. “So the mean kids were being mean because you two are different, is that what I’m hearing?”

The two children nodded. Virgil was about to follow up when two adults showed up.

“Elliott what’s wrong?” said the first. She looked to be a young woman, maybe a couple years younger than Virgil. Behind her was a man, who was slightly behind her and trying to keep up. Virgil assumed it was Elliot’s parents. 

“Mom! Dad!” The small child ran to them. The woman instantly picked them up. 

“There were kids and they were mean to my new friend and me. It was awful! And then they kept saying bad things and hurt Roman. I-I just want to go home now.”

The mother rubbed their back and looked up at Virgil. “I’m assuming you’re the parent of their new friend?”

Virgil nodded, the mother sighed. “I’m Marie. This is my husband, Steven.” 

“Virgil.”

“Can I get your number? The school’s probably going to contact us tonight based on past experiences. It might be good if we are already in contact.”

Virgil nodded and gave his number. The three adults talked for a little while longer before going their separate ways, Roman waving goodbye to Elliott as they parted. 

-

That night, after a call from the school and a meeting arranged for first thing tomorrow, Virgil and Patton helped Roman get ready for bed. Roman seemed to still be slightly shaken up. They had helped him get dressed into pajamas, and they saw a couple of small bruises. Virgl held back a gasp and Patton could feel tears at the back of his eyes. 

Roman didn’t know why it was so bad, just that it was slightly sore. They gave him slightly loose pajamas and lay him on the bed. 

Before Virgil could start saying goodnight, Roman spoke up and sat up.

“The bullies said that because I’m weird, I got adopted. Is that why my parents didn’t raise me? Is it true? Is it because I’m bad?”

Both adults shook their head. 

“Absolutely not,” Patton exclaimed, trying hard not to raise his voice too loud. “You are different but that’s not why. You are in no way bad. You are a gift and me and Virgil are so happy you’re here. Yeah, you’re different but so are me and Virgil.” He looked to the side and looked away, but looked back a second later. “We can’t know why your parents did what they did. But just know that we’re right here now. And will be here.”

Virgil smiled slightly, “And you want to know something Ro?” Roman nodded in response. 

“I was adopted too. When I was seven, by my two moms. It doesn’t make me bad. And it doesn’t mean it’s my fault. Being adopted isn’t bad. It can be good! Don’t let people use it against you.”

Patton then hugged Roman. “Goodnight kiddo. Have the sweetest of dreams. Come in and get us if you need us! We’re only a couple rooms away!”

Roman nodded and let Paton tuck him in. They left the room and Roman fell asleep almost instantly. 

-

After making it to their room and making sure Roman couldn’t hear, Patton began to cry as they hugged, Virgil patting his back as a few tears fell down his face. 

‘’He’s only in first grade Virgil? How could they let that happen to him?! He’s such a sweet kid and he doesn’t want to hurt anyone.”

Virgil just nodded and let the tears fall, “It’s going to be part of his life, people attack what they don’t understand. It happened to you and it happened to me. Hopefully we can get this particular thing resolved because Roman doesn’t deserve anymore of this right now. He’s only a kid.”

Patton sighed, his tears letting up slightly. The two put on their night shirts and got under the covers, cuddling each other. They fell asleep talking to each other about what to say in the morning to the counselor, hoping this could all be resolved soon.

-

_ The prince went on his journey. He had gone through towns and cities alike. Finding great treasures and riches. Though whenever given them, he soon realized that it was better for him to share those riches with the people that he meets and the towns that he finds. Speaking of those people, he had met so many. Over time he had gathered a group of people who traveled and supported him wherever he went and through any villain who would threaten them. This was a fact The Prince was eternally grateful for. Those who couldn’t come along were given gifts upon departing and he would send letters to them as he traveled. He formed many memories, some that would last longer than the riches he found _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> T/W: Bullying (A character is bullied for being non-binary and Roman is bullied for being a monster.) 
> 
> Who wants to fight The Blue Jean Gang with me?


	6. A Start To The Holidays!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thanksgiving! Roman meets some new people!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> T/W: Just a heads up, this chapter is mostly fluff but there is some referenced child abuse, nothing is elaborated on it in detail. Just wanted to let you all know! Stay safe!

The next few months continued on. At the meeting the parents of the three boys were ashamed of their sons’ behavior and the trio got suspended for two days. (Though two of the little jerks did throw another insult at Roman as they were sent back to class, and it took all the restraint in Virgil’s body to not go full momma bear on them.) 

Time passed and it was now Thanksgiving. Roman had learned about the holiday and school, the teacher talking about traditions and how many celebrated it in the US. She then reminded the students that they would get the week off because of the holiday, leading to happy cheers throughout the classroom.

It was the Saturday after the last school week before break had ended. Roman was eating dinner with his dads when he finally asked them, “What are we doing for Thanksgiving?”

Virgil smiled at him. “We actually just finalized our plans this morning. We were going to tell you that we’re going to your Grandmothers’ house for it!”

Virgil seemed genuinely excited by this. Roman could tell that he wanted them to meet.

Roman, however, was nervous. What if his grandmas didn’t like him? Or thought he was rude? Would they make his dads send him back?

He had grown to love Virgil and Patton, he has started to think of them as his dads and even considered calling them that aloud (though he was currently too nervous to do so). 

After dinner, Virgil went to call his moms to talk about the trip. Roman sat in the living room, watching cartoons. After Patton finished cleaning the kitchen a bit he came and talked to Roman.

“Ro, let’s talk. You seemed slightly nervous in there.”

Roman came and sat next to Patton on the couch, curling up next to him. “I’m scared to meet Virgil’s parents. What if they don’t like me? What if they think it’s bad that I’m a monster like some of the kids do?”

At school, many of his peers had gotten used to his presence and he had even been able to become friendly with a few other kids. (However Elliot was his best friend still.)

But there were still a few mean kids. Some would give him dirty looks or whisper about him when he turned his back. His teacher tried to stop it, but there was still some cruelty.

But now Patton just smiled comfortingly. “That’s not gonna happen, Ro. I know Virgil’s family, they are all so nice. Especially his mom, and his grandma for that matter. Regardless, his family is very sweet and you have nothing to worry about. In fact we sent them a couple of photos of you with us and told them all about you. They’re so excited to meet you Ro!”

Roman blushed, looking down shyly, but he still had a smile on his face. 

“Do you feel any better Ro? We can talk some more if you need to.”

Roman looked back up. “I feel a bit better now. Thank you Patt.”

Patton smiled and kissed his forehead, Roman beamed at him. He then left his lap side and started to go past his room. On his way he overheard Virgil talking on the phone. He didn’t mean to eavesdrop but he couldn’t help but hear one part.    
  


“Has he called me or Patton dad yet? Oh he hasn’t but there’s no pressure for him to if he doesn’t want. I’d love to hear it, but I don’t want him to feel like he owes us anything, it should be when he’s ready.”

He couldn’t hear the other part of the convo and if Virgil spoke some more he couldn’t hear it. He went to his room and smiled. He now felt less nervous about two things.

-

It was now the day of the trip. It was 11 in the morning on Wednesday and the car was packed with some suitcases and a couple of snacks and the family prepared for the two hour trip. 

Roman was currently buckled in place and listening to the conversation his parents were having. He was strangely quiet. Some of his nervousness returned as they drove, and it reached its peak as they got off the highway and, according to the GPS, close to their destination. 

They drove up to the driveway inside a nice neighborhood. The house was a short walk up the driveway and surrounded by a bunch of trees and land. The house was white and two stories tall, with red shutters and doors. There was a rainbow flag flying out one of the windows as well as a stone pathway leading from the driveway to the door. 

The family collected their bags and walked to the front door. Roman stood on Virgil’s side and nervously fidgeted with his hands.

An older looking woman opened the door. She was surprisingly short, probably no more than 5’1”. She was hispanic and had dark brown hair and light brown skin. He smile was huge when she saw her family. 

“ _ Mijos!  _ You’re here! Me and your mom have missed you so much! Come in, come in, you must be freezing out there!”

It was in fact not freezing. It was actually pretty warm for late November. Virgil was wearing his hoodie, but he would wear hoodies for most of the year. Patton was in knee length pants however.

“It’s so good to see you  mamá. I’ve missed you and mom so much.”

The woman smiled. “I’m glad you’re here. Come, sit down. I’m planning dinner for tomorrow. Your mom is still at work, but she’s getting out early today, Mapache. She’s probably already on her way home from the library.”

She then ushered them all into the living room. She looked at Patton. “Ah my other son. How are you, mi oso?”

Patton hugged her and she hugged him back with all her might. “I am so good. Life is good and my business is doing great right now! Everything is great overall.”

She beamed up at him. “That’s incredible, mi oso! I’m so happy that you are!” 

She then saw Roman standing behind Patton nervously. She knelt down so that she was at his height. “Hello!” She stuck out her hand for him to grab and shake. “I’m Rosa. Virgil’s mamá. It is so nice to finally meet you, mijo!”

Roman smiled at her and shook her hand. “I’m Roman!” He felt the nervousness go away slightly, he felt strangely comfortable around her, even if he didn’t know her that well quite yet. 

He was then led over to where Patton and Virgil were already sitting. Watching them with a smile on their faces. He went and sat in Virgil’s lap.

The woman smiled and started to move into the kitchen. “Are you three hungry? We have plenty of snacks to hold you over til dinner if you want them. Here I’ll bring some out!” 

“Oh let me help you then mamá. I would hate to have you do this by yourself.” Patton said, getting up, and walking quickly to the kitchen. 

The woman laughed and happily let him help. “If you want to, mi Oso, but feel no pressure to if you don’t want to!”

Patton chuckled. “Oh, no, I'm happy to help. I love to be helping when I can.” The door to the kitchen closed, and Rosa knew this meant that Virgil, and more importantly Roman, couldn’t hear unless the two were exceptionally loud or if the other two men listened closely. Still she felt a need to speak extra quietly. 

“Are you sure you’re okay Patton? I believe you when you say you’re happy in general, but I know that the holidays are always a rough time for you,” she said as she made a cheese plate. She gestured for him to hand her a box of crackers, which he passed along. He grabbed some plastic cups that the couple had brought as well as some juice for them to drink.

“I mean it’s better than the last couple of years. I’m so busy with Roman and my job that I don’t have much time to think about  _ them  _ as much as usual.” He then looked up at her for a second as he closed the bottle cap. He then looked to the side. “But yeah I still think about them. I’m trying not too, it’s kind of a mood killer and I want to be happy during this time. It’s Ro’s first major holiday with family and food and I want him to be happy during it. Learning about my sad past isn’t exactly a way to do that.”

She hummed sympathetically. “I understand that. Just know that if you or Virgil need a break to talk or to collect yourselves, me and Tamry are more than happy to watch Roman for a second. And I’m sure her mom is too.” 

Patton smiled and hugged her. “Thank you mamá. You have always been so nice.”

She hugged him back. “Of course! You shouldn’t expect anything less.”

Meanwhile in the living room, Roman was listening to TV while he and Virgil played a game on Virge’s phone. After a couple of minutes he turned up to Virgil. 

“Hey Virgil?”

He looked at him smiling, “Yeah kid?”

“Why does Patton call Rosa mamá to? She’s just your mom.”

Virgil nodded. “She is, but she’s very motherly to him too. And he also calls my other mom mommy as well. And since I’m married to him she’s his mother-in-law. Mamá is much easier to say don’t you think?”

Roman chuckled and nodded as the door opened revealing another woman. 

She was around 5’-10” and had graying hair. Her skin was dark brown and her eyes were a deep chocolate color. She was heavier set and was wearing a very pretty mint green dress with a floral print on it. She had on black glasses that on the inside were a green that matched her dress. She saw Virgil and Roman and her face immediately lit up. Roman got off VIrgil so that Virgil could get hup and hug his mom. 

He they met halfway into the living room and Virgil immediately hugged her. 

“Mom! It’s so nice to see you!” He hugged her tightly.

“It’s so good to you my son. Me and your mamá have missed you so much!” She kissed his forehead and didn’t let go of her hug for a good minute. She had a slightly southern accent, and Roman realized it was one of the first times he heard an actual southern accent in person. 

When they pulled apart she looked up at him. “Now where’s my even taller son and my new grandchild? I want to meet him.”

Roman had come up next to Virgil and he looked up at her shyly not knowing what to say, though he wasn’t really nervous anymore.

She looked down at him and bent down as well. “It’s so nice to meet you child. Virgil and Patton have told me so much about you!”

Roman smiled at her. “It’s nice to meet you too!” He stuck out his hand for her to shake it.

She chuckled at the action, finding it cute. One hand came over her mouth by reflex as she laughed. She then used her other one to shake his hand. “You are very polite.” She then gave him a small hug. “I’m Matilda. I’m your grandma but don’t feel pressure to call me that okay?”

Roman nodded, still smiling. She smiled at him and got up, though she had to use Virgil for balance. At his concerned look she just chuckled. “Don’t worry Virge, I’m just getting old, I’ll be fine.” 

The kitchen door finally opened up with Rosa carrying a snack spread with chesses, meats, and crackers and Patton holding a couple of drinks. Patton saw Matilda and put the drinks down and happily went over to hug her. 

“Mom! It’s so good to see you!” 

The woman smiled as she hugged back, “It’s so good to see you too Patt! Oh I’ve missed my sons, I’m so glad that you’re here!”

“I’m so happy to be here too.”

And Roman could honestly say that he shared that sentiment. 

-

The rest of the night went in a blur. At one point Rosa and Patton had gone out to get more groceries leaving Virgil, Roman, and Matilda.

Virgil had gone into the other room and Matilda was showing Roman an old scrapbook. 

“And there’s Virgil in his 10th grade year. Oh look at how young he looked! He was adorable.”

In the photo Virgil was not what most would call cute. He had all black and had his typical black makeup under his eyes, yet it was even darker and not as neat. He was slightly smiling and he was sitting on the couch, it looked like he didn’t really want to be in the photo. 

Roman smiled though and then pointed at another photo. It was Virgil with another older lady. She looked to be a bit older than Matilda and Rosa are now. 

“Who is that?”

Matilda smiled. “That’s my mama, Amara. Or Virgil’s grandma as he calls her.” She thought about it. “I know there’s photos of her around your house. Have you not asked before?” She looked amused by this more than anything else. 

Roman shrugged and lightly blushed, a little embarrassed. “It never crossed my mind to ask.”

She chuckled and turned to another page. It was Patton and Virgil’s wedding day. Patton was wearing a light blue tux with a white shirt under it. He had on a purple bow tie and a blue flower crown in his air. Virgil had on a medium purple jacket and white shirt. He had on a light blue bow tie and a purple flower crown. The two were staring at each other, a look of absolute adoration on their faces. 

There were a few more photos, some of the wedding hall and the reception room. The other one that stood out to Roman was the photo of his parents, Matilda, Rosa and Amara. There was also the woman was in the photo on the mantle. 

“Wait I know her! She’s in the photos that Patton and Virgil have around the house.” He thinks for a second, “That’s Virgil’s great grandmother!” 

Matilda nods. “She is!” She contemplated for a second. “Do you want to know something?”

Roman nodded. “My mom was also adopted, like Virgil was and like you are.”

Roman looked surprised. “Really? She was adopted too?”

She nodded, “There’s a lot of people adopted into this family, some officially, and some unofficially.” She chuckled. “That’s the Sanders family for you. If you don’t have a family, you probably will by the time we’re through.” Roman smiled at this. 

They continued to look through the scrapbook happily, looking at the various photos. 

Towards the end, VIrgil came back into the room, strangely covered in dust, but a smile on his face. He started to give his own witty commentary on some of the photos, particularly ones from his teenage years. 

“Oh gosh, why would you keep that photo?”

The photo in particular had him sitting on a couch, his clothes, once again, all black. Only this time he wasn’t even smiling, if anything he had a face that was more comparable to a glare at the person taking the photo.

Matilda chuckled. “Because you’re my son and we hadn’t been able to get you to take a photo for a while.” 

Virgil at least had the decency to look embarrassed. “Well yeah. It was an awkward time. I thankfully got over that pretty quick.” He then jokingly flashed a charming grin.

Matilda and Roman chuckled. She rolled her eyes and looked at the photo again. “You say that, but we’ve always thought that you looked handsome, even in your ‘awkward’ stage.”

Virgil smiled but if he had a response he was interrupted by Patton and Rosa coming into the door. They had come in through the backdoor which was connected to the kitchen so they hadn’t heard them come in. 

All Virgil knew is that he suddenly had an armful of Patton jumping into his arms. VIrgil was caught off guard but quickly recovered. 

“Woah, Patt, I missed you too, but you guys only went to the store.” However there was no denying the huge smile on Virgil’s face when he saw Patt.

Patton chuckled. “I know, I’m just glad to be here with you.”

Virgil chuckled and the whole night continued in this peaceful tone. Soon it was time to go to bed. After getting ready, they put Roman in the ‘child’s room’ (Virgil’s room from when he was a kid, nearly identical to how it was when Virge lived there).

Virigl sat on the edge of the bed, Patton right next to him. 

“Did you have a good night Ro?” Virgil said. He was holding something behind his back, something Roman couldn’t see. 

“I did! They were so kind. Am I gonna get to meet Amara tomorrow?”

Patton nodded. “Yep, and you’ll get to have your first thanksgiving dinner. We eat earlier than most days, so you better bring you appetite.” He chuckled.

Roman just smiled, he was about to say goodnight when Virgil smiled nervously.    
  
“We actually have a gift for you Roman. We know it can be a lot to meet new people. You’ve met a lot, not just here but at school, and you’ve been very brave,” Virgil said, starting them off.

Patton nodded in agreement. “That’s why we found this for you.” Virgil took the item from behind his back and handed it to Roman.

It was a dragon plushie. It was a mostly black with a red outline around its wings. Its tale was also black though there was a bit of white under its feet. Roman also noticed that its eyes were red and there was darker thread along the dragons mouth, giving it a smile. It looked slightly old but not enough that one would have to be super concerned about it breaking. 

Virgil smiled at him. “That was one of my stuffed animals as a kid. It was one of my favorites and I found it while looking through some of my old things. I gave it a good cleaning so it should be great to cuddle with tonight if you would like to.” 

Roman gave it a squeeze. It was very soft, partly from the soft fabric, partly from the soft material inside. It was incredible and it brought so much joy to Roman to be able to hold it. 

“Thank you! Thank you!” He got up and hugged his parents. 

“Oh it’s no issue Roman! We’re glad you like it.”

Roman smiled and went back into the bed after a couple more minutes of hugging. He then let himself be tucked back in, a smile never leaving his face as he held the dragon.

His parents smiled and kissed him on his forehead, just as he said goodnight, knowing that they could hear him, he said, “Goodnight, dads.” And before they could respond, Roman was already starting to fall asleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love this chapter. His grandmas are so fun to write!


	7. Holidays: The Sequel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Roman meets his Great Grandmother. Also aftermath of what he called Virgil and Patton. 
> 
> Later the family has an unpleasant experience. But they’re a family, they can get through it together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey this chapter contains a bit of homophobia and racism. See the end notes for more details.

It was now Thanksgiving, and before the anticipated dinner to happen, the two dads needed to have a brief convo with their son. 

They sat him down before Amara was set to arrive.

Roman was nervous about this. What could his parents want to talk about? Before he could ask, his dad spoke. 

“Ro, we’re not upset with you at all, we want to make this clear. But we think we heard you call us your dads last night.”

Roman nodded, slightly nervous before noticing how excited and ecstatic they both looked. 

“I did- I hope you didn’t mind.” He trailed on the last part at the end, scared of making them mad at him.

This had to be one of the happiest moments in Virgil and Patton’s lives (along with their wedding, being told they could adopt Roman, and very few other things). 

“We don’t mind, we are just so happy that you see us as your dads. Very happy.”

Roman was elated. He wasn’t sure why he was so nervous before. “So can I call Patton Dad, and Virgil Papa?”

“If you want to kiddo! We want whatever makes you comfortable, your comfort matters so much to us!” 

Roman beamed and clapped his hands once in response to the excitement. “Then yes, that’s what I like for each of you. It fits you the best!”

Patton chuckled. “I’m sure it does.”

They all joined in for a group hug, prompted by Roman throwing himself into Patton’s arms and Virgil joining them. As Patton looks at his small family he started to feel even more happiness run through his veins, as he thought to himself.

“This may be what true joy feels like.”

-

As the night went on, Roman decided that he really liked Thanksgiving. 

Grandma eventually showed up. She looked at Roman and instantly asked if it was okay to hug him, her need to show affection and her more reserved personality showing through. 

He nodded immediately and she threw her arms around him. 

“It’s so good to meet you. I’m glad that you’re here with us kid. Virgil has told me so much about you.”

Soon after he met her it was time for dinner. The food was mostly made by Patton and Rosa, though Roman proudly helped do small things. Patton also baked a few pies for the occasion. 

After they ate, they happily all sat in the living room, enjoying their meal. During which he asked his grandparents what they would like to be called. They all beamed at him. 

“Well,” Rosa said, “I would like to be called Abuelita. It’s Spanish for granny,” she explained. 

“Granny is fine with me.” Said Matilda, smiling so brightly.”

Amara thought for a moment. “I kind of like GG. It’s for Great Grandma.” A realization dawned on her. “Oh my goodness! I’m a great grandmother!”

The whole table started to laugh at her realization and look of surprise on her face, she chuckled along after getting over the shock. 

After the meal, they all chilled inside the living room, all trying to rest after such a large meal. Eventually Virgil and Matilda got up to clean up the kitchen, as pay off for Patton and Rosa cooking the meal.

At one point Amara got up to take a walk, inviting Roman to come with. 

“It’s important for us old folk to take walks,” she said with a wink. For a woman who was nearly 80, she was surprisingly active. She regularly took walks, though she did constantly have a way to contact her family in case she fell over or had any other issues. Though they were just gonna walk around some of the property in the backyard, so she wouldn’t be far from her family anyway. 

Roman followed along, walking with his hand in hers.There was a peaceful silence. She was similar to Virgil in her more quiet and private nature, both appreciating a nice silence.

Yet, it was her who broke the silence this time.

“Have you enjoyed your first holiday Roman? I know that it can be a lot and I hope we didn’t overwhelm you.” 

“Not at all GG! I’ve had a great time here, you all are so nice!” He thinks for a moment. “Can I meet more family soon?”

GG chuckled. “I’m sure there will come a time where you can meet a bunch more Sanders.”

Roman smiled excitedly. “Yay!”

She smiled at the child, her composure was very grandmotherly. “I’m glad you’ve enjoyed this visit. It was incredible to see you.” She then lowers her voice like she’s telling a secret, “I was hoping to be able to get another child around. It’s been kind of boring since Virgil got old.” 

Roman laughed, and she laughed along. “You think I’m kidding? Things are typically much more interesting with little kids around, I assure you.”

Roman smiled at that.

_ Things are definitely much more interesting now. _

-

Despite Thanksgiving’s fun it was almost over sadly. The next day the small family made the drive home. Roman held his new dragon as he napped in the back seat, ready to get back to life as normal.

Well normal in a “it was now time to prepare for the next holiday” sense. 

Ah yes, Christmas. And not just any Christmas, but Roman’s first one at that.

Because of this, Virgil was determined to do this right. He needed to make sure his son saw all the Christmas movies (including  _ The Nightmare Before Christmas _ ), writing a letter to Santa Claus, and even making the infamous trip of taking him to meet Santa Claus at a store or mall.

Now Virgil Sanders was not one for crowds. In fact he usually completely despised them. They made him nervous and feel trapped. However, he wouldn’t dare miss his son meeting Santa for the first time as long as he was able to attend. 

His need to be there for his family and friends was typically the only thing stronger than his anxiety. Patton called this his mom friend override. Virgil wouldn’t deny this.

Regardless, it was meeting Santa time. 

Virgil was carrying Roman on his hip as they entered the mall, when they went to see the stores, the kid asked to be put down.

“Okay, but remember to stay where me and Dad can see you. It’s really crowded and it would be horrible if you were to get lost.”

Roman nodded and as he was put on the floor, he grabbed his Papa’s hand. He was smiling, excitement running through his veins. He was going to get to meet Santa!

His dads had told him all about Santa. How he made gifts for all the kids in the world who were good. How he was going to give gifts to them all and not expect anything except good behavior in return. He even got to meet him!! It was all very exciting!

Soon they found the line to meet the man. It was surprisingly short, though that may have been due to Virgil and Patton intentionally choosing a time where the mall would be less crowded than usual. 

After waiting for about fifteen minutes it was time to go up and meet Santa. The man smiled and gave a happy laugh as he saw Roman.

“Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas!”

Roman started shaking in excitement. “Hi Santa!” He ran to the man and was picked up onto his lap.

“Hello! What is your name?”

“I’m Roman!”

The man smiled. “Ah yes Roman! I’ve heard you’d been a good kid this year! Is that right?”

Roman nodded. “I’ve been great! My dads said so!” He pointed to his parents who were standing to the sides, with smiles on their faces. This was just so cute!

Santa chuckled. “Then it must be true!” He then said, “Would you like a photo with Santa?”

Roman nodded. His parents took out their phones and took a couple of photos. Roman’s smile was huge and so genuine that it almost made Patton want to cry from secondhand happiness.

After the photos, Santa turned back to him. “Now what do you want for Christmas my child?”

Roman thought for a minute. He had his dads and a whole family now. He didn’t need very much. 

He then thought about the other kids in his group home and the kids back in the monster world. He remembered his dads telling him that they were trying to find the other kids but it still hadn’t happened. He remembered being that sad and lonely. He remembered Elliot. Elliot’s home life was great, but he remembered them once saying that before Roman, school was pretty lonely.

“I want everyone to have a loving family and friends. I don’t want anyone to have a bad family or no family.”

Santa looked surprised but then smiled. “Ah a noble wish. That’s a good wish child, one that takes a lot of work but can be done one day. You may need to help Santa with that one.”

Roman looked confused. “How?”

“By being kind to everyone. Being open and loving, that’s what’s very important.”

Roman gasped. “Like a Prince?”

Santa chuckled. “Yes very much like a Prince. Is that what you want to be?”

Roman nodded. “Can I?”

“Of course, Prince Roman.” He looked at the timer next to him. “I’m afraid you must leave as I have to talk to more kids. It’s important that everyone gets to hear from me, don’t you agree?” 

Roman nodded. “I understand! Thank you Santa!”

Santa smiled as Roman ran off with his parents.

The happy family decides to leave the mall and get food elsewhere as the mall was getting crowded.

This was fine at first. Things only got bad when they started to hear yelling.

There were people currently rioting outside of the mall, yelling and holding signs. Virgil realized it first. He picked Roman up and put his head against his chest, he looked over and saw the horror in Patton’s face as it dawned on him what was happening. He stepped to the side.

“Roman I need you to keep your face tucked into my chest and to cover your ears. If you hear anything that they say, remember that anything bad about monsters that they may say is completely false.”

Roman nodded to show that he understood and tucked his head against Virgil’s chest again.

The family walked pretty quickly. Virgil putting on his best, “Mess with me only if you want to die” face and Patton standing behind him, assertive, ready to fight anyone who would even think about hurting his family.

They were almost through the crowd when just one man saw the family noticed how Roman was a monster.

“Hey look these freaks thought that being gay wasn’t good enough so they decided to add another abomination into the equation.”

Even with his ears covered Roman could hear that and jeers from the crowd that followed.

Nearly right after that they were at the car and Virgil was quickly buckling Roman in. He had Patton watching behind him making sure no one came up to them. They may be very nice, but both were over six feet and could easily fuck some shit up. 

They got into the car quickly and got out of there. 

Once they were down the road a bit, Virgil pulled over at a gas station. He parked the car. He finally spoke. It had been strangely quiet until that point. 

“Roman would still like to get some food? We know a place a while alway. We can talk now or at the restaurant or even later than that about what just happened.”

Roman shrugged. “It sounds good, I just have one question-well three.” He looked at his parents. “Why did it happen? An-And what’s an aboma-abomi-“

“Abomination.”

“Yeah that and why am I one?”

Patton’s face became more serious than Roman had ever seen.

“Roman I need you to know something right now. You are not and never  _ ever  _ will be an abomination. An abomination is something awful and horrible and you’re the farthest possible thing from that that could ever exist. And why did that happen? Because there’s as- people out there who are ignorant and fearful and use that to hurt others. That’s what they’re trying to do. Hate and use that hate to spread more hate. In particular they want to hate people like you. Know that they’re wrong. So wrong.” Patton started to tear up. “Because you are an absolute gift. An absolute gift and one of the best things to ever happen to me and your papa.”

Virgil nodded. “So much so, Roman.” He paused for a moment. “There’s people in your life who will hate you because you’re not from here. They think of you as dangerous just because you’re not from here, because you’re not human, but you’re our son and you have a heart and you deserve to be loved and respected. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

Roman nods. “I’m tired dads. Can we go home?”

Virgil smiled a small smile. “Of course. Let’s get home, I think we’ve earned some candy and a couple of Christmas movies. We owe ourselves a screening of some classics.”

And with that they went home. Tired out from the day already. 

Even though it was only 2pm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Homophobia and Racism (Protesters against monsters, a metaphor for oppressed minorities, yell out racist things as well as homophobic things to a gay couple.


	8. Back To The Street Where We Began

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> His dads take him to somewhere very important in their little family’s history.

They had been driving for a while. It was about an hour away from home. It was about a week and a half away from Christmas. In fact, it was the last weekend before Roman’s Christmas break.

His parents had told him they were going someplace special. Somewhere they’ve been meaning to take Roman to for a while but were delaying. 

Roman had shrugged, he knew that it was a restaurant but other than that he had no clue. He didn’t mind really, he trusted his dads so much, he knew they would never put him in a dangerous situation.

After about another 30 minutes, they had arrived at the restaurant. It was a diner that had windows throughout the front of it, bringing in a large amount of natural light. As Roman entered he took in more of the restaurant. The tables were throughout the front and there were many. There were then three visible walls in the center with a door that was for employees only and presumably led to the kitchen. In front of that door was a cashier stand that also had one half as an ice cream bar and another half where they housed baked goods, which looked homemade. 

There was no wait as there was hardly anyone there, Virgil mentioning that this was always a slower time. 

A hostess came up. “Hello, welcome to Mind Palace diner. How many-”

She paused as she actually saw Patton and Virgil, the couple chuckled at her reaction as Roman stared at the scene in confusion.

“Hey Cindy,” Said Virgil, a shit eating grin on his face. 

‘Virgil and Patton is that you?!”

Virgil chuckled. “Yeah it’s us!”

Patton smiled behind him, “It’s so good to see you!”

Cindy smiled. “Oh my goodness it’s been forever, where the hell have you two been?”

Virgil chuckled, “Remember we moved into my Great Grandmas old place.” He paused. “A lot has changed since then.” He pauses again. “We have a son now for gosh sakes!”

Cindy looked down at Roman, who smiled but wasn’t sure what to do so he gave an awkward wave. She smiled at him. 

“I’m assuming you’re said son!” She bent down to his level and shook his hand. “I’m Ms. Cindy.”

“I’m Roman!”

Cindy was slightly above average height. She had pale skin and dark black hair which was died purple and red at the ends. Her hair was up in a messy bun and she had on fake nails which were black. She had a kind smile on her face and excitement in her eyes.

“It’s lovely to meet you.” She stood back up. “Come on, let’s get y’all to a table. I still have the special one available just for y’all.”

The three followed her to a table by the window. It was towards the back of the restaurant where you could see all the trees behind the restaurant. If you looked even closer you could see some of the lake behind the trees. 

They sat down and looked through their menus. Cindy bringing over some drinks, (Coca-Cola for Patt and Sweet Tea for Roman and Virgil).

“This tastes like your sweet tea papa!”

Virgil smiled. “Yeah, who do you think fixed their recipe?”

Cindy came back over and chuckled. “Yeah, it’s one of the only good things Virgil did here.” And then as quiet as she could be so that only Virgil could hear, she mumbled, “The other being Patton”

Virgil shot her a playful glare, making her laugh harder than she had in awhile, which made Virgil start to cackle. 

Eventually she got her notepad out and got ready to write their orders down. 

Patton and Virgil almost instantly knew what they wanted. Roman thought for a second but eventually decided on chicken tenders. Cindy came over and wrote down Roman’s order. She then looked at the other side of the table at the couple.

“I have a feeling that I know what you two want.”

Patton chuckled, “I’ll have a-”

“Reuben with the Thousand Island Dressing on the side.” She said in time with Patton. 

Patton started to giggle, Virgil smiling, giving her a shit eating grin.    
  
“I’ll have two burgers, four buns on each. With fried over easy undercooked eggs, douse it in ketchup and barbeque sauce and then put every vegetable on then put it in a fryer for five hours. Then only use the salt from a coconut in Hawaii to season it. If you fail that I’ll sue this entire restaurant and you personally!” 

“So one BBQ sauce and blue cheese burger with Onion Rings on the side?”

‘Of course, that’s what I said.” He thought for one more moment. “Oh and make sure to add some Lucky Charms because it’s...” He paused for dramatic effect and with all the former theater kid in him looked around the room as if checking to make sure no one else could hear. “ _ Prime Cereal Time,” _ he stage whispered.

The whole table laughed though Cindy also rolled eyes, she then wrote down their orders. She went to put the orders into the system. 

“So how do you two know this place?”

Both of his parents smiled, Patton grabbing Virgil’s hand.

“I used to work here during college. It was one of the only places around which had mostly flexible hours and paid well,” Virgil started, looking around the walls with a certain sense of fondness in his eyes, one that was similar to someone going back to their childhood home for the first time in years and finding that it had hardly changed. “Gosh they don’t feel a need to change much do they?”

And it was true. Though they kept things in good condition by repainting the walls or fixing the floors and things that don’t get better with age, they tried to keep the general look and feeling the place gave the same.

“It looks so similar,” Pattin added, looking around with Virgil. He then turned back to Roman, “This also happened to be where Virgil and I met.”

Roman perked up. “Where you met? Tell me that story please!”

Patton chuckled but looked to the side. “You sure Roman? It's not the happiest story to tell.”

Roman nodded. “Please?”

Patton smiled. “Okay we’ll tell. You want to start Virgil?”

Virgil nodded. “Well it started at this very table we are sitting at now…”

-

_ It was Virgil and Patton’s sophomore year of college. It was a friday night and though neither of them knew it, it was the night that would change the direction of their lives.  _

_ It was very late, nearly 1am. But the Diner was open 24hrs a day, mostly for the college kids looking for free wifi or a place to come and get some food after partying a little too hard. However it was strangely quiet and Virgil was about to get off for the night. Cindy was also leaving, their next shift taking their place. Cindy had already left and Virgil was about to get in his car and go get some sleep when his eyes caught one of the most beautiful men he had ever seen. _

“-Your Papa’s exaggerating. I looked like a total mess back then. Everyone does in college. He’s giving too much credit.”

Virgil chuckled. “I’m not exaggerating, you were that beautiful. I know ‘cause I was there.”

Patton rolled his eyes affectionately and let Virgil continue the story. 

_ Virgil’s observation of his beauty changed however when he realized that the man was crying. He then realized that the man had been sitting there for an hour but had only ordered a water and a hardly eaten sandwich.  _

_ Usually Virgil was too anxious to strike up a conversation, much less with hot guys. But the man looked so sad and Virgil was just the right amount of sleep deprived to have his anxieties and reservations be a little less. He went up to the man, standing across from him.  _

_ “Hey man, I saw you sitting over here. You looked real upset, what’s up?” _

_ The man gave him a sad smile. “The sky.” _

_ Virgil let out a snort and Patton brightened up the slightest bit. _

“Even when sad, Patton couldn’t miss an opportunity to make a pun.” Virgil snarked.

“Oh you know you love it, sweetheart!” Patton said in a joking yet teasing tone. He wrapped his arms around Virgil’s shoulders. Cindy happened to be walking past and shook her head in faux judgement, leading VIrgil stick his tongue out at her. She chuckled and walked away. 

“Can I hear more of the story?” Roman said, excited to hear more, though he did find his parents’ antics to be funny.

Patton chuckled and took over the story. 

_ Patton looked down at the floor, this man seemed nice, he even found his joke humorous. Maybe he could tell him a couple of things. I mean he’s already had his heart broken today, what’s to lose from some honesty.  _

_ “Oh it’s just life, love, drama and a bunch of other things. It’s just kind of weighing me down.” _

_ The man nodded in understanding. “I get that.” He then gestured to the empty chair across from him. “Do you mind if I sit here?’ _

_ Patton nodded. The man sat down. “Hey I don’t know if I can help with all that, but I don’t want to leave you here this late. Do you want to vent or we could just talk and not think about shit. Order some ice cream? It’s really good.” _

_ Patton shook his head. “I’d hate to keep you here.” _

_ Virgil shrugged. “I don’t have anywhere to be. And honestly, I probably wouldn’t have slept for a while anyway.” _

_ Patton chuckled. “I feel you.” He gave the man a real smile. It was a start, but it was real, one of the first real ones he had had in awhile. “I’m Patton.” _

_ VIrgil smiles back. “Virgil.” _

_ And the two talked. They talked for hours and they eventually ordered some water and ice cream to help their throats after they started to hurt from talking so much. They talked until they eventually had to go somewhere and get some sleep. So they parted ways, exchanging numbers so that they could see each other again.  _

Roman smiled at the story. Their food had arrived at this point and the whole family had started eating. 

The family finished their meal and left, Virgil exchanging numbers with Cindy and promising her that they would meet up again soon.

The whole family left the diner with a joy in their heart that was priceless.

-

_ The two did in fact meet up again. Usually at the diner. They met and talked and became the closest of friends. Crushes formed but neither said anything. No, that wouldn’t be until later in their story.  _

-

After much anticipation, it was now the day that Roman had been waiting for with much excitement.

It was Christmas Day.

He woke up on Christmas morning, excitement running through his veins. He was cuddling his dragon plushie, who he had named Dragonsaur The Brave (Or D. B. for short) and ran to go meet up with his dads. 

He quickly jumped onto their bed. “Dads! Dads! It’s Christmas! We need to go see if Santa visited!!!”

Virgil sat up slightly first. He yawned though he smiled at Ro’s excitement. Patton was behind him. The two sat up.

“I mean are you sure you don’t want to just sleep in Ro? You don’t get to sleep in a lot.” Virgil said teasingly, he already knew the answer.

Roman shook his head. “But I’m too excited to do any sleep! It’s Christmas!” He said as if that made his answer more understandable.

Which it honestly did.

Soon enough the family went into the living room. Patton going to make some coffee for the adults while Roman practically shook with excitement. Once Patton had come back in with coffee for himself and Virgil, Roman began to open his gifts. 

He had many presents from Santa, a couple from his dads, and few from his grandmas and other friends like Cindy. He had even been given one from Elliott, which was a friendship necklace. It was one shaped like a heart the two halves put together spelled out the words “Best Friends”. He had also gotten some more books and a few more toys and stuffed animals. Plus a mini easel which was a white board on one side and a chalkboard on the other. 

Patton and Virgil also began to open their gifts. Theirs were much more modest as they typically went all out on their birthdays and anniversaries. (For example Patton bought Virgil tickets to see one of his favorite singers live just a few weeks ago, since Virgil’s birthday was at the start of December. Roman drew him a very nice photo, which Virgil framed and kept on his desk.)

Regardless they opened up each other’s gifts. It was soon time for breakfast. After which the family spent that day watching Christmas movies, and making food for dinner together.

Dinner ended up being delicious and the rest of the night was spent drinking cocoa while watching more Christmas movies. 

That night Roman, the excitement of the day wearing him out, felt content. And he had decided that no matter what the world threw at him, he would be fine as long as he had his family and lively days like this.

He shared this sentiment six days later. It was New Years Eve. The time since June when Patton and Virgil found him had flown by. 

The family was celebrating the new year together in the living room, watching the ball drop on Live TV. Roman honestly found this tradition kind of confusing, but it was apparently something a lot of Americans did. 

Either way, it was 11:30pm, way past Roman’s typical bedtime but they were letting him stay up so that he could experience the holiday too. The adults were sipping on glasses of wine while Roman had some sparkling cider in a wine glass. 

“This is so cool!” Roman said. He was always excited to celebrate a new holiday and December was currently his favorite because it had two!    
VIrgil smiled at his excitement while Patton, slightly tipsy as he had had a good bit more wine then Virgil, chuckled. 

“We’re so glad that you’re enjoying yourself! And really glad that you are here at all! It’s awesome!” Patton then started to giggle. Tipsy Patton tended to be incredibly affectionate and giggly, well more than usual. Granted, sleepy also tended to act that way, which led to confusion on Virgil’s part when they first met as he sometimes couldn’t tell at first if Patton was tipsy or tired. Thankfully after about a minute Virgil was able to tell which one it was. 

“Yeah what your dad said. We are so glad to have you with us Ro.”

Roman beamed. “This year has been awesome, dads!” He then paused, “Well it became awesome. There were some bad parts at first but then I met you and then I met other kids and life is awesome now!” And he added quietly, “I’m so glad you chose to let me be your son. And I’m so glad that you love me.”

Virgil moved and picked Roman up into a hug, “Oh Ro, there was never a choice.” He moved Roman to the couch where he and Patt were cuddling and the three had a cuddle pile. “You were our son from when we met you. We love you.”

“So, so much.” Added Patton.

Roman beamed. “Thank you, I’m just excited to see what the next year could bring.”

And it just so happened to be when the clock struck midnight. 

Fireworks went off around the house and the whole world seemed to be celebrating in Roman’s head. However in less than 20 minutes, both Roman was asleep as was Patton. Virgil smiled at the sight of his son and husband. He carried Roman into his son’s bedroom and tucked him in, kissing his forehead. He then woke up Patton to have him move and the two went to bed, cuddling. Also filled with excitement for the new year. 


	9. A New Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A year has passed since Roman was found..

It had been one year since Roman had been revealed to Patton and VIrgil.

One year of familial love like he didn’t know was possible. One year of him being the light of Patton and Virgil’s lives. There were so many changes in that year that Roman wasn’t sure what to do.

He actually went to school, he even finished his school year being on the same level as most other kids. The bullying thankfully had calmed down quite a bit. Elliot was his absolute best friend in the entire world. They even wore their best friend necklaces every single day. He had two loving grandparents and a really loving great grandmother. He adored them as much as they adored him. 

Today they were going to celebrate the fact that he was their son, they were also using this day as his birthday as the most that they know is that he was born in the summer. This day was as close as any other day in the summer was, so they may celebrate both things. 

For the early part of the day his parents took him and Elliot out to a spa where they treated Elliott and Roman like royals for the whole day. (They even got crowns to wear for the day, Roman’s being a bit bigger since it was his day.) They got a foot rub and were able to use these nice smelling lotions that made their skin feel great. They were also able to get pedicures and manicures. Elliot chose a real pretty gray color and Roman went with a bright “royal red” as Patton had said when he showed him the color. They got to go to the store and Roman and Elliot both got to pick out one small toy, which they were both grateful for. They chose tiny stuffed animals that came from the same set. Elliot choosing a black cat and Roman choosing a small dragon.

“To go with my other one that you got me,” Roman had said when Virgil asked him why he picked that one.

“Honestly I just think cats look cool,” said Elliott. This made Virgil snort and Patton chuckle, so it was still very nice. 

When they eventually finished they went back home, and Roman was surprised to see another car in the driveway. When the group went inside he looked and saw his grandmothers and great grandma inside. 

“GG? Abuelita? Granny? What are you doing here?” he said, his smile blinding, excitement running through his veins.

Rosa brought him in for a hug first. She picked him up. “Do you think we would miss our grandson’s first birthday with us?”

Matilda came over and took him. “Yeah Ro, we wouldn’t miss this for the world!”

GG than finally got her hug, “We are so happy to see you!”

After talking for a little bit longer, Patton and Rosa started on dinner. Elliott and Roman started imagining a scenario where two royals had to save the beautiful princess (Matilda) from the evil dragon witch (Virgil) and they were given advice from the wise queen (GG).

Soon the food was done, and it was time to eat. The two had made pasta, Roman’s favorite food, and garlic bread. As they ate they enjoyed a nice conversation and talked about how everything was.

When they finished they brought out the cake.

Roman had asked for a chocolate cake with chocolate icing and that was what he was given. Patton had finished it this morning and even had made the icing himself. He then put seven candles on it. VIrgil grabbed his phone and recorded Roman blowing the candles out. They then cut the cake. After they ate, it was time for presents. GG had knitted him a sweater, while Granny and Abuelita gave him some toy cars as well as a barbie doll (Two things Roman had wanted a lot). Elliot's family had gotten him a small bag with some things like a tiara and a new toy sword, which Roman was very happy about. Finally, his parents got him a few new shoes, a couple of toys, and even a little bit of (cheap) makeup.

After presents it was time for Elliott and his grandparents to go home. They all left, his grandparents kissed Roman goodbye and Elliott promised him that they could hang out over the summer again. 

Before she left to join her daughter in the car, GG turned to Roman. “I’m so proud of you my child. You are going to grow into someone great, I know it.”

And grow he did, Roman grew and grew over the years. 

Before any of them knew it, Roman was 8 years old. When he was eight his parents adopted a 13 year old named Remy. They were accepted as Roman had been, with as much love as physically possible.

Around three years after that, they adopted another child. He was only 5 and was named Dee. His short but painful past left him with a lying habit but through hard work and support he broke it. He was accepted as everyone else was into the Sanders. That’s the Sanders family way. You accept people as they are. You love them, and if someone is in need, you do your best to help.

And as Roman grew more and more, he remembered this. He held onto it and blossomed with it.

Soon Roman was 17 and unpacking his car at the college he was attending. His parents were there, Patton crying tears of pride and even Virgil was shedding a few tears. 

Soon they had to go and Roman was introducing himself to his roommate Logan, who happened to be the same type of monster as him, and also happened to be very pretty.

After that Roman couldn’t tell you. HIs story was far from over, it was just unknown. And that was alright. Roman’s world was changed drastically in a way he could have never known and it continued to change and change and grow into something lovely. 

And it would continue to do so. But for now it was his freshman year and he had the rest of it to live. 

It was after all, _ life,  _ as beautiful as it can be.

-

_ As the Prince ended his journey he realized that the gifts he had gotten were nothing compared to the love he found. So when he returned he brought many of his friends, and those who did not want to come he kept in contact with for the rest of their lives. He had found that the love and memories that he had found, were some of the most valuable things he could ever earn. Something that was nearly free. After all, _

** _Love Is For Everyone_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I honestly don’t know what to say.
> 
> This story has been a big part of my life for a half of year before but it’s idea started long before that.
> 
> I’m so happy to be able to share this with you all! If you have any questions, or even want to know more about this AU feel free to send an ask to my Tumblr lamp-calm-sanders! I’ll happily elaborate on some things or give head canons (Besides on the other fics in this universe I’m planning ;))
> 
> Did you really think I’m saying goodbye to this AU forever? XD
> 
> A huge thanks to my friends and betas Cye, Z, and David!
> 
> Find them on Tumblr at Omni-Hamiltrash,enteryourfandomhere, and DavidTheTraveler!
> 
> Thank you to my partner Colin! You can find him on Tumblr at iongnadh or at thekingtrickster for being there from concept to completion!!
> 
> Please leave comments, kudos, and other feedback! It’s incredibly appreciated!

**Author's Note:**

> I'm So Excited To Post This!!
> 
> This has been my life for the last six months so I hope you enjoy it!! Please let me know what you think!!


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